Disability Action Week 2024 – Accessible communication: connect, include and empower

🎉 It’s Disability Action Week 2024 (24 Nov – 1 Dec)! This year’s theme is Accessible Communication: Connect, Include, Empower.

Join us in celebrating inclusive communication for everyone! We’re excited to share some of the effective strategies and creative solutions we use at Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University, to make communication more accessible for all.

Did you know?

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide–including 21.4% of Australians–live with a disability or chronic health condition?

Disability results from the interaction between people with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that impacts full participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Disability: The Statistics

• 16% of the world’s population or over 1.3 billion people experience some form of disability.[1]
• 21.4% of Australians or 5.5 million people experience disability and live with an impairment.[2]
• 7.6% of Australian children <15 experience some form of disability.[3]
• 650,000 people in Australia are active NDIS participants with approved plans.[4]
  
  

Accessible Communication for Everyone
Accessible communication is essential for creating a society that connects and includes everyone, regardless of ability. Clear, inclusive communication helps to ensure that information, services, and opportunities are available to all people, breaking down barriers and fostering genuine engagement in every aspect of life.

Consider your Audience
When creating content, consider the divers learning and communication needs of your audience. Accessible technologies and inclusive communication materials are essential to effectively reach and support people with disability, with approximately half of all Australians with disability reported to use some form of aid or assistive device. Further, almost 1 in 10 have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment because of their disability needs.

Accessibility for the d/Deaf and signing community
Approximately 466 million people (or 6.1% of the world’s population) are living with hearing loss. In Australia, one in six people are affected by a variety of forms of hearing loss. There are 30,000 Australian Sign Language (Auslan) users.[5]

Some ways of supporting the d/Deaf and the signing community include:

• Use subtitles and captions – preferably live captions where possible
• Use the services of an Auslan interpreter (where needed)
• Provide verbatim transcripts of live events, meetings and events
• Enable technology access
• Facilitate the use of online chats in virtual meetings (as an option) – NB: lipreading, captioning and Auslan interpreting is preferred
• Use digital whiteboards, this is especially helpful in medical settings or emergencies.
  
  

Accessibility for blind, low vision and other vision impairments

• Use large, scalable, legible fonts – preferably sans serif, upper and lower case, with high contrast such as bold and normal text
• Avoid the use of all caps, italics and underline (unless a hyperlink)
• Use clear, high contrast colours – use an accessibility colour checker
• Ensure your communication is screen reader accessible
• Use alternative (Alt) text on images and label decorative objects as such
• Use braille where possible, especially on signage in public spaces
• Provide multiple / alternate formats
• Use pattern, texture, shapes and labels rather than colour, especially on graphs, charts and diagrams
• Do not use too much red or colour, just for the sake of using colour – this is not helpful for individuals with low vision or those who are colour blind.
  
  

Communication accessibility for mobility disability

• Use accessible spaces and conduct site visits where possible
• Offer hands-free options such as lapel microphones
• Offer multiple formats e.g. print, written, audio, video and digital, depending on your target audience and their requirements
• Use assistive technologies such as speech-to-text, eye-tracking systems, adaptive keyboards, headsets and mounted devices.
  
  

Cognitive considerations

• Visual Aids – Provide visual aids, step-by-step instructions, or prompts for individuals with cognitive impairments
• Be Patient – Be patient with slower or non-verbal communicators; confirm understanding with repetition or paraphrasing
• Assistive Technologies – Use apps or devices that facilitate simple, customisable communication (e.g., ACC or communication boards)
• Avoid Special Effects – Avoid the heavy use of effects such as animation, transition, flickering or strobing in multimedia
• Use Plain Language – Use plain, straightforward language to reduce cognitive load for individuals with brain injury / processing difficulties
• Easy Read & Visual Aids – Incorporate gestures, visual aids and easy read formats to supplement standard verbal and written communication.
  
  

Design for equal access
By embracing accessible designs and tools, we create environments where everyone has equal opportunities to connect, understand, and participate fully.

• Design for accessibility and inclusion
• Use inclusive language
• Apply universal design principals
• Embrace co-design
• Test your content
• Facilitate inclusion training for your staff.

Our Commitment at Inclusive Futures and The Hopkins Centre
At Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and The Hopkins Centre at Griffith University, we’re dedicated to leading the way in accessible practices. Here’s a look at some of the ways we’re advancing inclusion and accessibility:

• Developing research on communication access and tools to support diverse needs, including our new Inclusive Events Checklist.
• Integrating inclusive communication into all research projects, translation and dissemination, for example Voice of Queenslanders with Disability, ARC Adjudicating Rights for a Sustainable National Disability Insurance Scheme, and Partnership to understand Indigenous experiences of CTP.
• Hosting inclusive events and workshops, which seek to lead from the front and by example – for example our recent Hopkins Centre Bold Ideas Better Solutions Symposium and Inclusive Futures: Winning Medals with Equity and Diversity Symposium, Book Club Events and our successful Inclusivity in Play Pitch Festival.
• Engaging in projects that drive innovation in assistive communication technologies, including:
  • Potential of smartphone apps to assist people with spinal cord injury - Hopkins Centre
  • Seed Project: Development of the ROBIN (Returning hOme after Brain INjury) smart device application - Hopkins Centre
• We offer partnerships, consultation, resources, and training to support organisations in developing inclusive practices. Our programs are led by co-designers with lived experience of disability through initiatives like the Dignity Project and Inclusive Voices. Additionally, we equip the next generation of citizen researchers through our Citizen Researcher Essentials: A Short Course.

Together, we are building a world where everyone can connect, be included, and feel empowered. Discover how you can integrate accessible communication practices into your workplace, starting with small, impactful steps.

Thank you for committing to a future where communication is accessible to all.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, collaborate or to partner with us in creating inclusive accessible content, research, projects or events, please email: inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au or hopkinscentre@griffith.edu.au

DISCLAIMER
We use person-first language and follow the definition provided by the CRPD. However, we fully respect and support each individual’s right to use language and describe their identity in ways that feel authentic to them.

REFERENCES